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WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Secret Service agent who got into a brawl with her colleagues earlier this week previously filed a $1 million lawsuit against the City of Dallas claiming gender discrimination while working as an officer with the Dallas Police Department, according to reports.
The agent, who was assigned to protect Vice President Kamala Harris, was removed from her duties on Wednesday after displaying erratic behavior and assaulting a supervising agent while awaiting Harris’ departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday, Law Officer reported.
Secret Service agent identified
The agent in question was identified by New York Post sources on Thursday as Michelle Herczeg, a former police officer in Texas.
In December 2016, Herczeg was employed as a senior corporal with the Dallas Police Department. In that period of time she filed a lawsuit against the city. In the unsuccessful civil action she alleged that she “was targeted for being a female officer and treated less favorably,” the Dallas Morning News reported.
Joint Base Andrews encounter
Herczeg arrived at Joint Base Andrews Monday morning and began deleting apps from a male agent’s personal cellphone before becoming more irate, according to RealClearPolitics.
The outlet reported further bizarre behavior that included Herczeg mumbling to herself, hiding behind curtains and throwing menstrual pads and other items at another agent. During the erratic actions she reportedly told her professional partners they were “going to burn in hell and needed to listen to God.”
Finally, the special agent in charge (SAC) relieved Herczeg of her assignment, which led to a physical attack. Sources said the woman “snapped entirely” as she reportedly tackled and punched the supervising agent, RealClearPolitics reported.
U.S. Secret Service statement
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service Chief of Communications, offered a summary, which he decsribed as a “medical matter.”
“At approximately 9 a.m. April 22, a U.S. Secret Service special agent supporting the vice president’s departure from Joint Base Andrews began displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing. The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned,” he said.
“The vice president was at the Naval Observatory when this incident occurred, and there was no impact on her departure from Joint Base Andrews,” Guglielmi noted. “The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously. As this was a medical matter, we will not disclose any further details.”
2016 Lawsuit against City of Dallas
Herczeg charged in her 2016 lawsuit against the City of Dallas that she was retaliated against for reporting sexual harassment and other wrongdoing by Dallas police officers.
According to the Dallas Morning News, in May 2015, Herczeg alleged an assault by a male superior officer. Moreover, she claimed, “[i]ntimidation tactics were used as investigative tools to persuade Herczeg from seeking criminal relief against the officer who assaulted her.”
The lawsuit claimed that Herczeg was penalized and not allowed to return to a special crime reduction team after reporting the alleged assault. It also said she was refused overtime patrol shifts, causing “stress and mental anguish from loss in payment compensation.”
Furthermore, Herczeg claimed the Dallas Police Department “tolerates unprofessional behavior such as fraternization and unprofessional male and female working relationships based on an atmosphere which finds the male officer in charge, regardless of rank or ability.”
Herczeg’s lawsuit was not only dismissed in a Texas court, but a court of appeals denied both her appeal in 2021 and a request for a rehearing the following year.
USSS agents concerns
Journalist Susan Crabtree reported that “sources within the Secret Service community tell me the agent assigned to VP Kamala Harris was armed during the fight – that the gun was secured in the agent’s holster until other agents physically restrained the agent and took the gun from the agent’s possession.”
The journalist also said agents were expressing relief that Herczeg did not shoot the supervisor.
Crabtree said she spoke with media personality Dan Bongino, who is a former Secret Service agent. She quoted Bongino saying, “This is crazy. Someone is going to get killed — I’m surprised they haven’t already.”
I just spoke to @dbongino, a former senior Secret Service agent, who is well-versed on this incident. He bemoaned the situation: “This is crazy. Someone is going to get killed — I’m surprised they haven’t already.”
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) April 25, 2024
In her report, Crabtree highlighted internal “DEI concerns” over the explosive encounter.
“I’m also told there are DEI concerns among the USSS community about the hiring of this agent. Other agents and officers within the USSS are asking questions about the agent’s hiring process, whether the USSS did enough to look into the agent’s background and monitor the agent’s mental well-being because there have been widespread concerns about other strange behavior before this incident,” Crabtree reported.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Herczeg is a USAF veteran who joined the Dallas Police Department in September 2008.
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Source: www.lawofficer.com